Terrifying story of a woman who is searching for her best friend who is missing. Even though Charity has been missing for a month, Margaret has hope she will find her friend alive even though the town believes she is already dead. During her investigation Margaret finds out many shocking facts that will make her question everything she thought she knew about her friend. Brutal, graphic, not for the faint hearted.

Nick Cutter is criminally underrated. (At least in my circle of friends.) His newest book, The Queen, is one wild ride and takes place over the course of a single day! Everyone in town thinks Charity Atwater is dead, after all she did disappear over a month ago and there has been no sign of her since. So you can imagine her best friend’s (Margret) surprise when a new phone is delivered one morning and she begins to get messages from Charity, setting her down the path to find out what really happened to her friend. I don’t want to say too much more than that, and I’d actually recommend not reading the book blurb (probably too late, right?) and going into this one with as little info as possible. But what I will say is this is one wild/twisted story. If you’d read any of Nick’s other work than you might have an idea of what to expect in terms of gore. I have to say as someone who does not like wasps in the least, this one creeped me out more than a bit, but then I did read most of this one outside in my backyard and the neighborhood wasps seemed especially active…or perhaps that was just my imagination, lol. I’d like to thank Gallery Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Nick Cutter’s The Queen.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R1QZU0IGKU1D6U/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_SRTC0204BT_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

This book takes us back to June 15-16, 2018. Prior to then, there was a high school party called Burning Van. After the party, three boys, Allen, Chad and Will, went missing. So did a girl named Charity (known to her best friend as “Plum”). They are all presumed dead, until one morning Margaret (known to Plum as “Cherry”) gets a package. At her front door is a box with a brand new iPhone in it.

After turning it on, Cherry starts getting texts and audio messages from Plum, telling her to go to a specific intersection where she sees her friend Harry, also with a new iPhone. Plum is texting both of them, giving them directions that they follow…until deciding this was some kind of sick game. They defied the texts, then they get a call - not from Plum, but from a girl named Serena, a girl who says she has Plum, and if they don’t follow her directions, Serena will kill her..

I liked the beginning of this, and the original premise, but then this story totally went off the grid, with a secondary story about some men and their connection to these kids. This is my first Nick Cutter book, and his writing is immaculate. I loved the imagery, the gore, the insect theme…but for the majority of the book, I was disappointed. Finally, towards the end the two storylines connected, and while it was clever and made much more sense after that, I still didn’t like the way the story was presented.

Sometimes when this happens, it’s because straight horror turns into fantasy, but it was more sci-fi than fantasy, and I like some types of sci-fi. This must not have been my type, because again, I just did not care for this book overall, even though I feel like it’s written for readers like me. I’m giving it 2.5 stars, rounded up for the stellar writing and the beginning being good.

Thank you to @gallerybooks and @NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.

Graphic and gory at times, this highly descriptive sci-fi horror novel will make you shudder. Be a little patient, I was almost halfway through the story before it really reached out and grabbed me. With a sense of constant foreboding Margaret Carpenter discovers a phone on her doorstep that begins delivering eerie words from an unknown source . . . ongoing messages which seem like her friend Charity Atwater who has been missing for over a month. The contact provides information that only her dear friend would know and slowly reveals disquieting details of a traumatic event that took place before her disappearance. At times, it reads like a fever dream and you can sense damage, of mind and body, the trauma of lies and secrets . . . the palpable destruction of channeling rage and revenge.

I like the story's inclusion of the science behind queen pheromones and the control it gives her. I recommend this book for any hardcore fans of horror.

I thank NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of The Queen for my unbiased evaluation.  3.5 stars

I was so happy to get an ARC of this read! I absolutely loved The Troop, but was a little disappointed by The Deep. After reading this entry in the Nick Cutter bibliography, I think I'm going to lean more towards his books being good, but not great.

Cutter writes absolutely excellent body horror and his imagery is out-of-this-world. However, I couldn't help but feel like that the rest of the book was just a way to connect his insanely brutal descriptions. I found myself feeling slightly let down by the rest of the story. The motivations behind the main dilemma in the story? Not developed enough for me to fully engage. The last chunk of the story - which was a quasi epilogue/explanation of the story - felt like a safety net in case someone didn't understand the point of the novel. I didn't really care for it to be honest. There were also enough tropes - evil rich people! jocks are bad! - to make me wish Cutter had focused more on the core of the story. And, let's be honest - Charity absolutely raped the three villains in this book. While their reactions were less than sympathetic, she got off way too easy. She basically drugged them into sleeping with her, with no remorse. If anything, she was portrayed as the victim. That was pretty off-putting.

I would definitely read Cutter's next offering. Although I'll probably go into it with more reservations.

I’ve really enjoy Nick Cutter’s writing in the past but this one was just lacking for me. The body horror was great when it was there, but too much of the book was moving too slowly for my liking.

I have loved every Nick Cutter book I've read. So my expectations were high. I had trouble connecting to the characters in the book. I found myself drifting and hoping for something exciting. Mostly, it was very high school. I know. It was a book set in a high school. I don't have trouble reading about teenagers but sometimes I just can't immerse myself in their world. This was one of those times. I never quite made the mental image of the characters and places that I usually do. The story was not bad. I think my expectations were too much.

The story takes place over the course of one day, and follows a teenage girl as she starts to uncover some devastating, life altering secrets about her friend who recently disappeared. The things she uncovers are pretty life shattering and will change the course of her life and everyone around her forever.
Also, should probably come with trigger warnings. But if you've read Nick Cutter before, you probably won't be surprised. Body horror at its finest.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for this e-arc.*

wow this book was so good. this book was scary with really graphic and gory body horror. absolutely good.nick cutter knows how to do good body horror.

I love everything Nick Cutter writes. This was no exception! 
The Queen by Nick Cutter is another phenomenal horror novel written by Cutter!
The setting was eerie, the dialogue believable, the character development absolutely phenomenal and the pace was perfect. I could not tear myself away from this book.
If you are looking for a really disturbing book with masterly crafted characters and personalities this should be on your tbr!
If you want a chilling story and are willing to let it slowly build until it finally grabs you and you stay up determined to finish it, check out The Queen by Nick Cutter.


Thank You NetGalley and Gallery Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I honestly didn't think Cutter could write some more viscerally upsetting than The Troop but here we are.

His descriptions have an uncanny ability to make me feel an echo of the pain I'm reading about. It's so well presented despite being the most disgusting and gag-inducing things I have ever read happening to the human body.

I'm not even scared of insects but I might need to rethink that after this read. Like I don't understand how you can make ants so scary but Cutter managed to do that and so so much more.

The way that information is trickled to the reader at just the right points for maximum effect should be studied in a lab. Presentation and character are just executed so well but if you're not strong enough to stomach near splatterpunk levels of gore you might want to look elsewhere for a read.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I'm always very happy about an ARC and being able to give it a review! <3

Since I wasn't that interested in his The Troop and The Deep, this interested me even more. The blurb sounded very promising.

Unfortunately, over time I realized that I don't like the writing style that much... the whole story was a bit too confusing for me. I imagined something completely different. However, I thought the text messages were great and interesting and that encouraged me to keep reading.

Nevertheless, I have to say that the story didn't grab me and Nick Cutter's books are, unfortunately, not for me. But they are definitely for many others!! :)

Pulling themes from 13 Reasons Why and Carrie, Nick Cutter tells a story about Margaret, a girl grieving the possible death of her best friend, Charity. What Margaret doesn’t know is that Charity has a story to tell that she wants her friend to be a witness to. Via text messages from a mysterious phone that shows up on her doorstep, Margaret is taken on a journey to discover what really happened to her friend. Although this story pulled heavily from other popular books (which, humbly, Cutter acknowledges and gives credit to) it is still unique in its execution. In perfect Cutter fashion, this is a graphic, gory horror book that still has a decent story to keep the reader interested and invested. I enjoyed the premise for the story, yet unlike The Troop and The Deep, this book felt like it skipped over an editing process. First, there was a lot of repetitiveness. Information was given about the characters over and over that were unnecessary and showed a lack of trust. Secondly, there were several plot holes, specifically one that was due to the route Cutter took with the ending. Finally, the ending had several parts where it seemed things were getting explained, yet they were confusing or unclear. Either leave it up to the imagination or give a clear understanding. Oh, and it was a tad predictable. Although, this didn’t really bother me for this book. This is still a great gory horror book and fans of Cutter will probably still enjoy it, albeit not as much as previous works. Some editing, fixing up of some plot points (or changing the ending slightly), and making the book a touch longer to add explanations would have made this book so much better.
***Thank you NetGalley, Gallery Books, and Nick Cutter for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.***

Margaret and Charity have been best friends forever. After a traumatic incident Charity along with three of the most popular boys from school go missing. Most people, including Margaret, believe they are dead. One morning Margaret receives a package containing a phone which sends her on a mission to discover the truth with the promise of finding Charity alive as long as she cooperates. Little does Margaret know that she is about to embark uncover horrors that might just kill her.

The Queen is a new horror by the author who traumatized you with his hit novel The Troop…yes it still haunts me in the best possible way. I have also read The Deep and Little Heaven is in my library TBR so I was pretty excited for this one. This is a hard one for me to rate because I wanted to love it so much but there were a few things that i didn’t care for. First, let’s discuss what I enjoyed. Cutter’s writing style is always easy to read, this was a more unique genre of horror (bugs) which I have been reading more lately (some where done better). It still has all the disturbing body horror of his earlier works so if you don’t like bugs or disgusting things involving bugs then stay far away from this one. A few things I didn’t care for include: teen speak, pop culture references, sidetracking, and a nit picky one (discussing how everything gross smelled like sex)…um ok…not where I thought that was going. Most of the things I disliked would probably not be an issue for most readers so this is still one to pick up if bugs and body horror are your thing.

I have been looking forward to this since I saw whispering of the announcement, and was not disappointed.

I've read everything from Nick/Craig or at least everything I know about, and I honestly thought the Troop could never be topped, not even by him.

I was wrong, this is the new favorite for me.

This was a fast paced one for me, I mean it starts with Margaret waking up to a cellphone on her doorstep from her bestie, no big deal except, well the bff in question has been missing for well over month.

Now at this point I'm not sure how this is going to turn, is this someone fucking with her or is Charity alive?

If I had disappeared I think I'd be messaging my BFF as well, or would I, depends on the reason I dropped off the face of the earth.

As soon as the explanations started coming it did not stop, I felt my heart break a little for Margaret, the best friend you thought you knew better than anyone, thr one you, yourself have bared your soul to, has this massive secret and now you have to decide, do you help your friend or the memory of the friendship you had, or can you even believe them anymore?

If everything was a lie, what if this is too?

This is one of those that needs a place of honor on my bookshelf, when it releases it will be coming home with me.

I think im actually going to read it again, this was scifi horror, chaotic, rollercoaster and that ending..

This is a top read for me this year.

Synopsis:
On a sunny morning in June, Margaret Carpenter wakes up to find a new iPhone on her doorstep. She switches it on to find a text from her best friend, Charity Atwater. The problem is, Charity’s been missing for over a month. Most people in town—even the police—think she’s dead.

Margaret and Charity have been lifelong friends. They share everything, know the most intimate details about one another…except for the destructive secret hidden from them both. A secret that will trigger a chain of events ending in tragedy, bloodshed, and death. And now Charity wants Margaret to know her story—the real story. In a narrative that takes place over one feverish day, Margaret follows a series of increasingly disquieting breadcrumbs as she forges deeper into the mystery of her best friend—a person she never truly knew at all…

What I really loved:
- I love Nick Cutter (/Craig Davidson). Grotesque is always the best word to describe his flavor of horror. If you enjoyed The Troop or The Deep, add The Queen to your list, because he delivers as always!
- I feel like Nick did a surprisingly great job portraying the teenage girl brain (at least for his purposes here). I didn’t just get a horror novel from a teenage girl perspective, but I got an unexpectedly exploratory commentary on female friendship, what it means to start growing up and growing apart, and the complicated and sometimes scary dark depths of the teenage heart. I didn’t expect to close this book thinking, “This could make for good analysis and conversation in a high school lit class” (because we could also talk about societal expectations, girlhood, abuse, group think, victims and perpetrators, class dynamics, and more).
- Always a plot that delivers. You get thrown into a bit of chaos at first, but if you stick with it, everything is revealed and what a reveal and an ending.
- There’s so much more I could say about what I loved and what I’d love to talk with other readers about but I don’t entirely know where to start. I know that, as with all Cutter stories, there’s a new “thing” I’ll never look at quite the same again (hello, ant. hello, wasp.), and that’s powerful writing at its best - the kind that leaves an impactful impression.

What I didn’t love:
- I don’t know that there was much that I didn’t love. There were a few times more on the front end that I found myself a tad confused and wanting answers, but those questions always got answered fairly shortly on. I just had to trust the process and keep reading knowing that whatever felt a little loose and wild would have an explanation at the right time.

Overall:
I loved this one. Nick Cutter is an autobuy author for me as his horror has never once left me disappointed or wishing for something different. This was another knockout. I don’t know how he does it, but I eagerly await whatever next story he has ruminating in that caldron of his.

Thank you to both Gallery Books and Netgalley for allowing me to read an early review copy!

I started reading this and didn't get very far, I want to finish it but I'm honestly so confused at what's even going on.

Okay, so this book was like so intense! It had me hooked from the very first page, and honestly, I couldn’t put it down. Imagine waking up one morning, and boom! You find a phone on your doorstep with a message from your bestie who’s been missing for a month. I mean, can you even?! The whole story takes place over just one day, and it’s a wild ride of secrets, betrayal, and some seriously creepy gene manipulation stuff. Like, think science experiment gone wayyy wrong. 😱

The best part? It’s not just horror—it’s got this cool sci-fi vibe, too. There’s a tech titan involved (because duh, of course there is) and some insane revelations that really take the story to another level. It kinda felt like you were unraveling this giant mystery alongside Margaret, and every clue was more shocking than the last.

Now, I have to mention the body horror—omg, it’s BRUTAL! If you're not into creepy crawlies and freaky transformations, you might wanna brace yourself. The descriptions are vivid and will totally make your skin crawl. At one point, I was like, "Nope, I’m good!" But, honestly, that’s part of what made it so gripping. It was like a twisted treasure hunt, and even though I was totally grossed out at times, I had to know how it ended.

There are a few things that threw me off, though. The friendship between Margaret and Charity? A little weird. They’re supposed to be super close, but Charity’s actions were kinda hard to follow—like, girl, what are you doing?! I guess the whole gene manipulation thing messes with people, but still. Also, the ending wasn’t exactly what I expected. It was intense for sure, but it left me with some questions.

But overall, if you're into dark, messed-up stories with a bit of sci-fi flair, you’ll probably love this one. It’s disturbing in all the right ways, and even though I wasn’t obsessed with every single part of it, the book is still an experience you won’t forget.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Can we just start with that cover? It is a work of art. I know the old-school horror mass market paperback look is all the rage right now and hell if it isn’t working.

This is my second read by Nick Cutter. My first was The Troop. Both are absolutely disgusting with some horrific imagery and body horror galore. Both also have a lot of heart, and this is my favorite thing about Cutter’s writing. I liked The Troop, but I definitely liked this one better. I found myself really caring for these characters and feeling so bad for them. God bless teenage dread.

The book was structured mostly over the course of one day. And what a day! In my mind, I thought this would make for a fast paced read. It definitely wasn’t. We lived every minute with Margaret, our MC, and at times it felt like it. The prologue starts off with a bang, giving the reader a peek at the climatic moment of the book, but the first two of four parts had some pacing issues. I will say that it definitely helped build some emotional attachment to the characters, though (Harry 4 Lyfe), so it was not for naught.

The vibe was very much ‘hell is a teenage girl’ (I’m looking at you, Jennifer’s Body). A vibe that works very well for me. I loved the sci-fi aspect and the unhinged antagonist with a tragic back story. Pacing aside, this really worked for me. I loved the epistolary ending.

Overall, if you’re a Cutter fan then I definitely recommend. If you like sci-fi/experiments gone mad horror, also recommend. If you like horror at all and have a strong stomach and aren’t triggered by bugs, I recommend.

Nick Cutter cdd as b truly write horror that will stick with you for a long time. The MC of this story will live in my head forever. If you liked his other books, this one will definitely peak your interest. A great creepy fall read!!!!